Any atheists here who were once believers?

Yes Jan, I understand you have no clue there are other religions besides yours and that you have no clue what their believers believe. Oddly enough, it is almost exactly what you believe, yet you still have no clue.

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Who's talking about ''religions''?
We're talking about ''God''. Do try and keep up.

Yes Jan, I understand you refuse to accept the fact there are other religions purporting the existence of their "one and only God" (note the upper-case 'g')

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How does their ''one and only God'' differ conceptually than other religions/individuals who believe in ''God''?

Think what (Q) is pointing out is that a ‘blind obedience’ so to speak, is required in order to adhere to a religion’s doctrine, completely and entirely.

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No it's not. Your expected to act with wisdom, good judgement and compassion. If a spiritual leader, a priest, your boss or anyone tells you to do something inherently wrong, unethical or immoral, you're expected to use good judgement. Obviously, atheists like Q are fools and should be ignored.

It's pretty easy to be negative when people who claim to be interested in science and scholarship start babbling about the fairytales of religion as though they were real.

I found out that many adults believe in God when I was seven. From that day on, I was a cynic for about fifty years.

Guns, racism and churches: the three things I hate most about this country. And ain't it amazing that they so often go together.

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Atheism alone doesn't bother anyone. It's when you disparage things that are meaningful to a lot of religious people, well, what do you expect? Duh! Of course it's going to create hostility. Of course calling someone's religion a fairytale is going to piss them off. Many religions tell people to be loving, turn the other cheek and to lower hostility. But if those religions are fairy tales, then what do you think will happen?

You atheist cowards are perfectly content to tear down Christianity because Christians are very tolerant compared to Muslims. Muslims will kill you for attacking their religion. If they can't kill you, they will kill somebody. That's why atheists shut their mouths when it comes to Allah, Mohammed and Islam.

Atheism alone doesn't bother anyone. It's when you disparage things that are meaningful to a lot of religious people, well, what do you expect? Duh! Of course it's going to create hostility. Of course calling someone's religion a fairytale is going to piss them off. Many religions tell people to be loving, turn the other cheek and to lower hostility. But if those religions are fairy tales, then what do you think will happen?

You atheist cowards are perfectly content to tear down Christianity because Christians are very tolerant compared to Muslims. Muslims will kill you for attacking their religion. If they can't kill you, they will kill somebody. That's why atheists shut their mouths when it comes to Allah, Mohammed and Islam.

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Thanks for the veiled threat and thank god for your tolerance. Or maybe I should thank secular society that you don't have any more political power than the rest of us. Because when you did, people like me got burned alive.

Atheism alone doesn't bother anyone. It's when you disparage things that are meaningful to a lot of religious people, well, what do you expect?

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The disparaging only happens when religion encroaches upon our secular values and noses itself into places where it doesn't belong, such as middle school biology.

You zealots are always crying foul, but no atheist would ever approach you unprovoked to tell you your beliefs are a joke. That only happens when you tell us we're going to hell, or insist that your Stone Age morality applies today, or try to retard our education system.

You atheist cowards are perfectly content to tear down Christianity because Christians are very tolerant compared to Muslims. Muslims will kill you for attacking their religion. If they can't kill you, they will kill somebody. That's why atheists shut their mouths when it comes to Allah, Mohammed and Islam.

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Utter nonsense. Islam has been a bigger target for atheistic criticism than any other faith because Islam is also currently the most violent and backwards of the major religions.

Thanks for the link to university study on compassion's relation to strength of religious belief. Its conclusion:

“Overall, this research suggests that although less religious people tend to be less trusted in the U.S., when feeling compassionate, they may actually be more inclined to help their fellow citizens than more religious people,”

But the study is seriously flawed as it only included things like giving money to the unfortunate in their "index of compassion." That ignores the great display of concern / compassion for a sinner's soul. Recall the displeasing effort of doing the necessary torture to drive the devils out, or to get the sinner, stretched on the rack, to accept Christ by pressing hot irons to his bare chest. etc.

Thanks for the link to university study on compassion's relation to strength of religious belief. Its conclusion:

“Overall, this research suggests that although less religious people tend to be less trusted in the U.S., when feeling compassionate, they may actually be more inclined to help their fellow citizens than more religious people,”

But the study is seriously flawed as it only included things like giving money to the unfortunate in their "index of compassion." That ignores the great display of concern / compassion for a sinner's soul. Recall the displeasing effort of doing the necessary torture to drive the devils out, or to get the sinner, stretched on the rack, to accept Christ by pressing hot irons to his bare chest. etc.

Thanks for the veiled threat and thank god for your tolerance. Or maybe I should thank secular society that you don't have any more political power than the rest of us. Because when you did, people like me got burned alive.

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You have the right to express freedom of speech, even if you make unwise and disparaging statements. Thank God we live in America. I also have the right to tell you to take your derogatory comments and ...

You have the right to express freedom of speech, even if you make unwise and disparaging statements. Thank God we live in America. I also have the right to tell you to take your derogatory comments and ...

The disparaging only happens when religion encroaches upon our secular values and noses itself into places where it doesn't belong, such as middle school biology.

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I remember reading about Cell Theory and thought it was so beautiful. Biology is amazing and should be taught the way it is understood by science. Keep your atheist values out of the school system and let students draw their own conclusion.

You zealots are always crying foul, but no atheist would ever approach you unprovoked to tell you your beliefs are a joke. That only happens when you tell us we're going to hell, or insist that your Stone Age morality applies today, or try to retard our education system.

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Utter nonsense. Islam has been a bigger target for atheistic criticism than any other faith because Islam is also currently the most violent and backwards of the major religions.